The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched its Retail Program Standards Reference System (RPSRS), a searchable database of current Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards) interpretations. The RPSRS is designed to assist enrolled jurisdictions working on the Retail Program Standards for the regulation of foodservice and retail food establishments.

The Retail Program Standards provide recommendations for designing and managing retail food regulatory programs and help regulatory jurisdictions (or other responsible organizations) facilitate more effective inspections, implement foodborne illness prevention strategies, and identify program areas in need of improvement. The most recent version of the Retail Program Standards was issued in August 2022.

Enrolled jurisdictions can use the RPSRS to review interpretations of the Retail Program Standards issued by the Clearinghouse Work Group (CWG). CWG was developed to provide answers to questions about the implementation of the Retail Program Standards, and comprises stakeholders from federal, state, local, tribal, and Conference for Food Protection partners. CWG develops interpretive responses to questions that FDA receives regarding the Retail Program Standards, for better understanding and clarification in the implementation and application of the standards.

The RPSRS can be found on FDA’s Retail Program Standards landing page, or it can be accessed directly.